Bears banking on Fields to gain acres

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, April 18, 1998

BERKELEY - Time share is out. Sole proprietorship is in. Last year, Cal's tailback position was run by a committee. This year, Marcus Fields is the chairman of the board.

As a freshman out of Stagg High in Stockton, Fields split time in the backfield with Tarik Smith and Deltha O'Neal during the 1997 season. His emergence, however, took even the Cal coaching staff by surprise. In rushing for 419 yards with a team-best 4.4-yard-per-carry average and five touchdowns, Fields showed enough promise to cement his status as possibly the best Cal running back since Russell White.

The Bears' coaches saw that and they cleared the backfield for him. Smith, who as a senior ran for a team-high 636 yards, considered applying for an extra year of eligibility. Instead, he was "encouraged" by the staff to leave and enter the NFL draft, where he is expected to be a mid-to-late-round choice. O'Neal, the fastest and the most explosive of the trio, was moved to defense to shore up a need at cornerback.

So, barring injury, Fields will be the Bears' featured back this fall. With that comes the responsibility of carrying the ball 25-30 times a game, taking pressure off quarterback Justin Vedder and being the focal point of Cal's offense.

That's pretty heady stuff for someone who 10 months ago was only a high school senior. But Fields seems undaunted.

"I try not to think about things like that," he said before a Cal spring practice session. "It's my job to carry the ball, do the same thing I was doing last year, it's just a lot more. I feel I should be able to handle it OK. I feel pretty comfortable."

Just about everyone is comfortable with Fields and his no-nonsense approach and low-key demeanor - especially Vedder, the man who will be handing off to him all fall.

"He's no question one of the most talented running backs I've ever seen," said Vedder. "And besides that, he's a great guy, a coach's dream. He's always, "Yes, sir,' "No, sir.' He's got a great work ethic and a great attitude."

Of course, he didn't just salute his way into the backfield. It helps that he's fast enough to be on Cal's track team, running in the 100, 200 and 4x100 relays. It also helps that he's stronger, having bulked up from his high school weight of 185 pounds to 205. He hopes to be 215 by the summer.

"He's a little bigger and tougher," said Cal offensive coordinator Doug Cosbie. "The big thing from last year is experience now that he's played for a year. The type of person he is, he's always getting better every game because he takes it very seriously and works very hard."

But don't be deceived by his track-man label and above-average speed. Fields is not one who likes to run around the ends and look for daylight along the sidelines. He likes the pounding. He prefers to run between the tackles and through and over people. Last year, he lost only 12 yards on 95 carries, meaning he didn't stand around in the backfield, waiting for the parting of the Red Sea.

"I kind of like taking it inside more," said Fields.

"In high school I did a lot of running outside, but once I got here I started running inside. I don't mind taking the hits. When I get the ball I want to hit the line of scrimmage."

Although the Bears aren't concerned with Fields' durability, it will be vital to their fortunes. With O'Neal now on defense, Cal has little depth at the tailback position. Sophomore Marcus Oliver and senior Brandon Willis will be Fields' backups. Oliver is still looking for his first collegiate carry while Willis, who led the Bears in rushing two years ago, sat out most of last season and is still recovering from a knee injury.

The Bears can live with that. They're banking on Fields to be the cornerstone of what could be a suspect offense because of uncertainties at offensive line and wide receiver.

"We want to control the ball better," said Cal coach Tom Holmoe. "We need to be more consistent carrying the ball. As far as the running game, we'll be going into the Marcus Fields era."